Motor-vehicle.



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FRANCIS M. PLATT, or ernaar, FLORIDA.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

To all 'w71 om, it may concern,

' Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. PLATT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stuart, county of Palm Beach, and State of Florida, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of whichthe following` is a specification.,

The motor truck has proven a valuable adjunct to business, but as nowconstructed it is not fully adapted to all the uses to which one livingin the country desires to put his vehicles. For instance, the presentmotor truck is not adapted to field use, nor to rough roads such as arefound through woods where the surface is uneven and'often covered wit-hfallen trees and fairly good sized rocks, which would be seriousobstacles to the progress of the average motor truck and damage them toa material degree by reason of the torsional strain imparted to thevehicle when one wheel passes over an obstruction, because of the factthat there is no ve tidal movement: to the front axle, aside from thatpermitted by the springs, which is not enough to eliminate such strains.

The object of my invention is to provid@ a construction whereby thefront axle of a motor 'truck is free to move longitudinally andvertically without changing the angular direction of its propellingmedium.

A further object of my invention is to substitute for the usualifthwheel of a vehicle a ball and socket joint for the axle, whereby theaxle may move vertically and longitudinally, relatively to the bodyofthe vehicle to permit the wheels to adapt themselves to allirregularities of the surface over whichthey are traveling and to rideover obstructions without imparting a relaat-ive movement to the vehiclebody.

A still further object of my invention is to provide aniotor truck withbodily revolu'ble axles-,adriving connection between saidaxlesyarballland socket joint for one of saidI agiles so that it may swinglongitudinally and vertically without disturbing the angular relationbetween the driving connections; 'and with these and minor ob- ;jects inview'my'invention consists of the parts and combination of parts as willbe more fully hereinafter pointed out.

yIn the drawings: Figure 1 isaside elevation of a motor truck embodyingmy invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the .same with the bodyremoved; Fig. 3 is a front'elevation ofthe truck, a portion ofASpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1913. Serial No. 787,308.

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the body being broken away; Fig. t is a view similar to F ig. 3illustrating the angular relation gf; the axle to the body, when a wheelis passing over an obstruction; Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detailsectional views of the ball and socket joint; Fig. 7 is a. sectionalView. on the line 7-7 F ig. 5; Fig. 8 is an elevation of the ball; Fig.9 is perspective View of one section of the socket; F ig. 10 is a detailperspective view of the sprocket wheel.

The reference numeral 11 designates a wagon body which may be of anyapproved type, the particular type shown being best adapted for farmuse. The socket member comprises two parts, 12 and 13, each ofspectively. IThe inner face of the collars is flared outwardly andconstitutes bearing surfaces 16 and 17, while annular grooves 13,

ywhichihas a concaved seat 14 and 15 re- 19 are formed on the outerfacesof the collars. f

l 20 are flanges formed on the inner ends of the'y collars through whichbolts 21 pass Pto secure the parts together.

22 is a sprocket wheel secured between the two collars 12 and 13 on theflanges 30 and provided with bolt passages 23.

The ball member 24 of the joint is adaptm ed to lit in the socket'formed by the concaved seats 14 and 15 .in the collars 12 and 13 and isprovided with an opening 24E therethrough, at each end of which is anannular 'lange'25, through both of which the front axle 26 isconstructed to pass; said axle being rigidly secured to the ball bymeans of the key 27 The ball is provided on diametrically opposite sideswith a recess 28, which by reason of its peculiar shape may be lcalled adumb-bell shaped recess.

29 are pins, the heads of which are seated in recesses 30 inthe flanges30a on the collars 12 and 13, the heads of the pins projecting into arecess 31 in the sprocket wheel, while the inner ends of the pinsproject into the dumb-bell recesses 28 in the ball, whereby the ball isconnected to the sprocket wheel and collars for driving purposes, but byreason of the dumb-bell recess may change its angular positionrelatively tothe collars and sprocket wheel without disturbing theangular rela-tion of the sprocket wheel 22 with the direct line andangular position of the driving chain 32,

the sprocket and `driving chain, as will be readily understood.Substantial reach poles i, 33 34 extendbetween the front and rearaxles`,.}each comprising two members, the ends of which are to form acollar or cuit fwhich extends around the collars 12 and 13.

and are seated in the grooves 18 thereof and constitute bearings for thecollars 12 and 13.

35 and 36 are braces secured to the wagon body and terminate at theirlower ends in bands which are secured in the grooves 19,

' said grooves constituting bearings therefor. The wagon body may bereadily detachable from the brackets and any other type of body readilysecured thereto. The axle 26 4 is provided with bands 37. looselymounted driving a sprocket wheel 46 by whichfthe' chain 32 is driven.The rear ends of the reach poles 33 and 34 are suitably secured -to therear .axle as shown. The rear axle is driven bodily. Y

47 are traction Wheels secured to the respective axles in any well knownmanner.

VIn order to get the maximum power it is necessary that the sprocketwheels 22 and j 46 remain constantly in alineinent with each other inorder that there may `be .rio

drag ortorsional strains on the chain, which l I accomplish by meansofthe ball and socket joint. By means of the ball and socket joint thevehicle may be turned in a compara-4 tively small space and the wheelsand axle are free to be'tilted from the horizontal as the Wheels passover an obstruction, (as 48),

as shown in Fig. 4, without disturbing the angular position of thesprocket wheel 22 with respect to the chain 32and Without imposing anystrains on the balance oithe running gear or body of the vehicle. Theangular positionof the axle will-also be changed whenever one of theWheels enters a rut or hole in the roadway. By positively Adriving eachaxle I gain a maximum of power as each .Wheel serves :as a tractionwheel Athereby enabling the'engine to pull the vehicle over obstructionsand .out of ditches and holes. 1

What I claim is:

1. In a motor truck, the combination with a body, of'an axle bearingconsisting of a ball and socket joint, comprising collars 'suspendedfrom said body, and having ball seats, a sprocket wheel secured to andbe,

tween said collars, a ball mounted in said seats, a wheelaxle rigidlysecured to said ball, said ball having diametrically opposite dumb-bellshaped recesses, pins projecting from the collars into said recesses inthe ball loosely keying the ball to said collars, Wl1ereby the ball andthe axle carried thereby may change their angular position relative tothe sprocket Wheel.

2. In a motor truck, the combination with a body, of an axle bearingconsisting of a ball and socket joint, comprising collars suspended fromsaid body, and having ball seats, a sprocket wheel secured. to andbetween said collars, a ball mounted in said seats, a wheel axle rigidlysecured to said ball, said ball having diametrically opposite dumb-bellshaped recesses, coinciding recesses formed in the collars and in thesprocket wheel and pins mounted in said recesses and projecting into therecesses of the ball whereby the ball is loosely keyed to the collarsand may changev its angular position relative to the sprocket wheel andcollars.

3. In a motor truck, the combination wiih a body, brackets dependingfrom said body, of an axle bearing consisting of a balland socket jointcomprising collars journaled in said brackets and having ball seats, asprocket wheel secured to and between said collars, a ball mounted insa'id seats, a wheel axle rigidly secured to said ball, said ball havingdiametrically opposite dumb-bell .shaped recesses, coinciding recessesformed in the collars and in the sprocket wheel, pins mounted in saidrecesse'sffand projecting into the recesses oit' the`ball whereby theball and the Aaxle carried thereby is loosely keyed to thecollars, arearA wheel axle, a sprocket wheely on said rear axle, a motor to drivesaid rear axle sprocket wheel, a chain connecting the ysprocket wheelsof the two axles; the ball and socket joint for the irst-named axlepermitting said axle to change its position both vertically andlongitudinally relative to the sprocket wheel onth'mfront axle wherebythe j sprocket 'Wheel on the front axle remains in constant angularrelation to the drive chain irrespective of the angular relation of thefront axle thereto.

4. In a motor truck, the combination with a body, brackets dependingfrom said body, of an axle bearing lconsisting of a ball and socketjoint comprising collars journaled in said brackets and having ballseats, a sprocket .Wheel secured to and between said collars, a ballmounted in said seats, a wheel axle rigidly secured to said ball, saidball having diametrically opposite dumball shaped recesses, coincidingrecesses form. l in the collars and in the sprocket wheel, pins mountedin said recesses and projecting into the recesses of the ball wherebythe ball and the axle carried thereby is loosely keyed to the collars, arear Wheel, axle, a sprocket wheel on said rear axle, a motor to drivesaid rear axle sprocket wheel,a chain connecting the sprocket Wheels ofthe two axles; the ball steering medium attached to said front axle 10and socket joint for the iirst-namecl axle and means to operate thesteering medium. permitting said axle to change its position Intestimony whereof I aiiix my signature both vertically andlongitudinally relative in presence of two Witnesses. to the sprocketWheel on the front axle whereby the sprocket Wheel on the front FRANCISM' PLATT' axle remains in constant angular relation to Witnesses: thev(irive chain irrespective of the angular N. C. PLATT,

relation of the front axle thereto; a flexible EDWIN S. CLARKSON.

